top of page

The Majjhima Nikāya (abbreviated MN) or Collection of the Intermediate Discourses of the Buddha is a collection of 152 discourses in the Pāli canon. The word "intermediate" refers to the length of each individual speech. It contains a wide variety of teachings presented as narratives between the Buddha and a wide range of his contemporaries. It is the most popular collection because it mixes biographical anecdotes with superficial doctrinal content. However, it is interesting to note its biographical value. This first sub-collection, called The First Fifty, contains 50 suttas and is divided into five chapters: the Chapter on the Root of All Things, the Chapter on the Lion's Roar, the Chapter on Similes, the Chapter on Pairs, and the Minor Chapter on Pairs. We can highlight the suttas, MN 10 Practice Instructions, MN 16 Mental Blockages and MN 17 The Thick of the Jungle and MN 4 Fear and Awe, MN 26 The Noble Quest and MN 36 Great Discourse with Saccaka, which describe the enlightenment of the Buddha. On the spurious side, MN 20 How to Stop Thinking, which exposes a bogus technique, and MN 43 and MN 44, which look like catechisms to impart doctrine in question-and-answer format.

The First Fifty - Majjhima Nikāya

SKU: MN1
€4.00Price
  • Collection of the Medium Discourses of the Buddha (Book 1)

bottom of page